Ephesians 6:14: "... with the breastplate of righteousness in place..."
Years ago, I read a book by Agatha Christie called "And Then There Were None". At one point in the book, the characters are gathered in a room trying to work out a part of a mystery they find themselves in. As part of that discussion, they begin to share intimate details about their lives -- sharing long-held secrets, grievances, past hurts or attitudes. Everyone in the room shares their story or situation with the exception of Emily Brent -- a lady who bills herself as a Christian, beyond reproach, and whose pious behaviour and attitude towards others indicates an attitude far from that which is Christ-like. I want to share with you a few lines from that book to help set the scene for the discussion about the breastplate of righteousness:
"There was a silence in the room. Everybody was looking, covertly or openly, at Emily Brent. It was a minute or two before she became aware of the expectation. Her eyebrows rose on her narrow forehead. She said:"Are you waiting for me to say something? I have nothing to say." The judge said: "Nothing, Miss Brent?""Nothing."Her lips closed tightly.The judge stroked his face. He said mildly:"You reserve your defence?"Miss Brent said coldly:"There is no question of defence. I have always acted in accordance with the dictates of my conscience. I have nothing with which to reproach myself." There was an unsatisfied feeling in the air. But Emily Brent was not one to be swayed by public opinion. She sat unyielding."Are you like Emily Brent? Do you wear a real breastplate of righteousness or do you wear one of righteous indignation? There's a difference. But few of us ever realize it.
So we're back in that dressing room, just off the Throne Room of heaven. God is at the door, smiling as you prepare for battle. You're marveling at the Belt of Truth that you've just donned, and start feeling a sense of confidence... a strength you didn't realize was even inside you until now. You nod to yourself: "Yep, I'm ready! Let's do this!" You turn to the door, chest puffed out, arms back, eyes closed, chin in the air... the stance of a warrior, you think and you walk.
"Wait my child -- you're not ready yet!" God says and motions you back towards the mirror. You turn around and gasp...
Michael and Gabriel are holding the Breastplate of Righteous -- it is laden with 10 large sparkling sapphires, each one inscribed with one of the Ten Commandments. But behind the sapphires on the white, crystal gold, are the words from
Mark 12:30-32: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'There is no commandment greater than these."You stand, arms outstretched, as the angels buckle the breastplate into position and you instantly understand something that for years you have never realized before:
That righteousness is not just an attitude -- it is not an Emily Brent display of piousness -- but a living, breathing shield of right living. Righteous is not, as the Pharisees would have you believe, a litany of things you must do to innoculate yourself from eternal damnation, but instead it is living out the mission that God has for you as His child -- his Ambassador on earth.
The world says that you have been hurt by the same person so many times, its better to write them off?
Matthew 18:21-22, via the Breastplate of Righteous, reminds that you forgive and forgive and forgive again -- even if it hurts each and every time. The arrow of hurt may hit that breastplate and take your breath away, but your choice to forgive means it bounces off without leaving a dent.
Your temper is out of control... you blow up all the time, you're know to throw a few punches and don't care who or what you hurt in the process... The Breastplate of Righteous when we make that choice to follow its precepts -- God's precepts -- reminds us of the words of
James 1:19-20: "Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires".You drink too much -- so much sometimes that you find yourself staring into the mouth of the porcelain bowl, and with each flush you drain a little bit more of your livelihood, your self-respect and your family life, down to the depths...
Ephesians 5:18 -- as reminded by the breastplate - reminds that we should be filled with something more lasting, more fulfilling, more life-giving than anything alcohol or drugs could provide:
"Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit".You're known as a gossip -- you enjoy the stories about Liz's indiscretions, Dave's money problems, Jada's attitude problem and surgery mishaps... it goes on and on... you tear people down to build yourself up, but in the end all that you really have is a stronghold of slander, malice and innuendo to overcome. The Breastplate of Righteous offers a better way -- it tells you that honor in the way you speak is the better part of valor:
Proverbs 21:23: "He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity".For years I tricked myself into believing that righteousness was just talk -- that it was piousness not right-living. I thought if I guarded myself from every kind of problem, everything the world flung at me, and held myself to a standard of not sinning then I would emerge the victor. I couldn't have been more wrong.
Righteousness - as God wants us to view it - is holding ourselves to HIS standard and allowing HIM to work through us to achieve His goal. Frankly speaking, we don't have any sort of power on our own to changes our lives. You can resolve to stop gossiping, but I guarantee you that unless you release that to God, the first good story that comes your way will have you running your mouth. You can say a million Hail Marys and resolve to get a handle on your temper by yourself, and then watch yourself explode the next time you get caught in a traffic jam.... point being is we can resolve to do all these things but we can not live for God if we are not living in community WITH God. Part of that comes from reading the Word. Part of that comes from fellowship with other believers. Part of that comes from prayer. But part of that is applying what you READ, HEAR and KNOW to be the Will of God to your everyday life. That is, you allow the beautiful weight of God's breastplate of righteousness, to direct your path.
James 1:22-25 reminds us: "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves.
Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does".
The Breastplate of Righteousness (Right Living) is resolving to action the very things in the Word of God that you know to be true. Loving your neighbour. Holding your tongue. Forgiveness. Each one forms a shield over a part of your heart and with each arrow that comes your way -- arrows of anger, temptation, hatred and malice -- the more you have lived out the Word of God and applied it to your day to day life, the more able you will be to stand and remain standing during your battles.
satan wants to kneecap us in terms of how we live our lives. God wants the way we live our lives to kneecap the schemes of the evil one.
If you're wearing the Breastplate of Righteousness in the way God has asked you to -- over your heart, guarding your actions, protecting your honor -- I guarantee that any arrow flung your way will be broken by the power of your Christ-like example.
Resolve to allow your righteousness to be dictated by the conscience of God.
Don't be an Emily Brent.
Next up, we're putting on the shoes of peace.
Dear Friends,
